Nature in Hiding

35- Another mishap

Avan was eager to know what the ladies bought, but he was quickly shut up by the older boys. The girls' eyes were dull, and their expression screamed discomfort, letting the boys know that it wasn't wise to pry when they were already hanging on a thin line.

Gyaan gave them some fruits the boys had managed to acquire from the nearby trees in the meantime. It wasn't much, but it was enough to give them some energy. After eating, the group spitted again, and resumed walking.

It was noon and sun was high up in the sky glaring down at everyone. The elements were already tired, and this was making everyone's condition worse, well everyone except Ahana, whose energy was overflowing because of the sun.

"I can't walk anymore," Avan muttered, before sitting down in the road. He was sweating badly, and felt like his head was splitting.

"Gosh! Don't sit down here. This is a highway. Can't you see the speed with which the vehicles are running. You will get crushed under a vehicle within a blink of an eye," Sameera said, before bending and picking up Avan in her arms.

Sameera groaned when she noticed that the other three had walked far ahead, unaware of what was happening behind them.

"I hope Gyaan stops soon," she muttered, wiping off her sweat. She didn't have any means to inform Gyaan, without drawing attention to themselves, nor could she walk much far ahead while carrying Avan.

"Sameera Aunty, start walking or else we will lose them," Avan said, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Oh yes! Let's hurry," Sameera said, and started brisk walking to reduce the distance between them and the trio. They couldn't afford to get lost from the others.

"We need to stop and find a shade," Neer said, breathing heavily. It was getting hard to breathe inside the mask in this heat.

"Come on Neer, don't give up now. We won't get anywhere if we keep getting tired. We need to cover more distance," Gyaan said. He was tired too, but stopping wasn't an answer.

"We can cover that distance at night. Right now, I am losing my energy. If you want water supply from me in future, then it's best that we find some shade," Neer retorted.

"Are you blackmailing me?" Gyaan asked, his mouth hung open in shock.

"I am saying that I am getting dehydrated," Neer deadpanned.

"Stop arguing and find a place to rest and hide," Ahana ordered, coming to stand between the boys, stopping the fight before it could commence.

"You too? I didn't expect this from you, not when you are the one who is the most energetic right now," Gyaan said.

"Who is blind now?" Ahana muttered under her breath, still annoyed by his earlier comment in the garden. "Can't you see that our only water source is losing his energy. Either way we don't have food, so at least try not to lose water.

"And if you haven't still noticed then please move your eyes and see, we have left Sameera and Avan far behind. Let's stop before the distance increases, we completely lose them."

Gyaan had a small pout on his face when Ahana finished talking. He hated being wrong, and more than that he hated when she pointed out his errors.

"Alright," Gyaan sighed in defeat, "wait by the side of the road. I will go and search for some place to hide until the sun goes down."

"No," Ahana said, causing Gyaan to growl in frustration.

"What's the problem now?" He asked, throwing his hands up in the air. "I am only doing what you two wished for."

Ahana stared at him blankly until he stopped his frustrated act. "If you are done...may I speak now?"

"What?!" he asked, as he folded his hands and huffed.

"You are tired too. Wait here with Neer, I will go and search up for a safe place," she said in a calm voice.

Gyaan looked at the ground, ashamed of his actions. He threw a tantrum when she was just looking out for him.

Neer and Gyaan went to the side of the road, and started talking amongst themselves, whilst putting their hands over their faces to stop the sunlight from directly hitting their faces.

"Look out for Sameera and Avan," Ahana said, when she noticed that none of the boys had their eyes on the road, "Don't let them miss your sight and walk ahead," Ahana advised.

Both of them gave her a silent thumbs up, causing her to shake her head at the idiots, before she walked off.

After searching for a long time, which was actually just ten minutes, she found a small, narrow, unpaved road that connected the highway to the village on the other side.

Fortunately, there was no sign of a living being there. "It is probably empty because it is afternoon. There's no way a large vehicle could travel from here. And who would like to walk or bike in this glaring sun," she mumbled to herself.

"Ahana, you did a great job," Ahana praised, patting her own back, before happily walking back towards the elements.

"Please tell me you found a place," Neer said, joining his hands to beg for good news.

"Obviously!" Ahana huffed, throwing her hair back arrogantly like an actress, before coming back to her natural pose. "There's shade and it's empty," Ahana said, spreading her hands and making expressions like she was selling a masterpiece.

Everyone's eyes lit up hearing her description. For the world, it was the plainest description ever, but for them it contained the factors they all were desperately praying for; making it the most beautiful place.

"Let's hurry," she said.

They all but ran towards the safe place, only to stop short with a screech. They had to firmly plant their feet in the ground to come to an abrupt stop.

Avan wasn't able to balance and was about to fall forward, only for Neer and Gyaan to pull him back by clutching his T-shirt's collar. They hurriedly looked here and there, before hiding behind an advertisement hoarding.

Everyone was heaving badly, having been startled by the situation.

"You said that it was empty," Gyaan whisper-yelled at Ahana, after he managed to calm his racing heart.

"How was I supposed to know that an accident would happen by the time I managed to bring you all here?" Ahana said, clutching her hair tightly in frustration.

They all let out a huge breath, before getting their heads out slightly to see what was happening.

A man was laying there on the road badly injured, bleeding from innumerable places, whilst a young child, probably his daughter, sat beside him and his broken cycle crying her eyes out.

It had taken twenty minutes for Ahana to go and bring the whole group here. In those twenty minutes, someone not only managed to badly injure a person but also ran away from the situation altogether.

It was definitely not an accident. The road wasn't big enough for a vehicle. And bicycles weren't strong enough to cause such injuries.

"Are we elements or are we doom?" Sameera asked, pulling her head back from the drastic scene.

"Wherever we go, mishaps follow."